Devices to aid the nursing process are known in the art. Generally, such devices have sought to find ways in which to amuse o entertain an infant during nursing in order to hold the child's attention for a sufficient period of time to complete the feeding process.
For example, U.S. Pat. No. 2,955,382 describes a holder for baby bottles which comprises a toy having snap fasteners thereon which are secured to the lower sidewalls of a nursing bottle in a manner so that the infant can observe the toy when nursing. The objectives of this device are to entertain the infant during nursing and to help support the bottle when it is in an upright position for filling or storage.
Other such nursing aids known in the art have as their objective to support a bottle and to amuse an infant during feeding so that the child does not lose concentration during the nursing process. For example, U.S. design Pat. Nos. D145,611; D153,937 and D160,192, as well as utility U.S. Pat. Nos. 4,902,261 and 2,711,052 disclose devices which are in the shape of plush toys or characters. These devices all attach in some manner to an infant's nursing bottle in order to support the bottle at a particular orientation and to amuse a feeding infant.
Other devices are known which seek to aid the nursing process by holding a baby bottle in place during feeding, thereby removing the necessity of having an adult hold the bottle during the course of the entire feeding. For example, British Patent No. 1,119,916 discloses a baby bottle holder which comprises a support having a flat surface and a bottle supporting surface which holds the bottle in a downward position so that the child may be fed without the necessity of an adult having to hold the bottle for the infant. U.S. Pat. Nos. 530,435 and 4,809,938 disclose similar types of baby bottle supports which also allow for an infant to be fed without the aid of an adult.
In contrast to these known devices, the present invention is directed to a device for amusing and/or entertaining an infant during nursing and for supporting a baby bottle in such a manner so that it extends at an upward angle when not in use.